The Love Between a Man and his Hobo
by SaySaeri
Summary: AU. After years of searching for his kouhai with some bad luck, Masamune the now Hobo finally makes it back to Japan. Meanwhile, Ritsu is tackled with putting aside his growing affections for convenience store food to babysit his cousin's Tsukishima's child (Hybrid Child). Please do not take this story too seriously.


**I feel so blocked in my other stories, so here's a new one! Enjoy!  
Akachannnn, if you ever read this..! This was long overdue!**

 **I intend to end this in a few chapters... please me... actually complete a story- without an epilogue...  
**

 **Me- :D We'll see**

 **Me- TToTT NOooo**

* * *

Finally!

Onodera Ritsu gazes proudly around his now clean apartment- that he totally cleaned by himself. A whole weekend to himself, a good amount of sleep, and actual food in his fridge, his life was currently running smoothly... but just wait until the working week starts again. He shakes his head of that thought, and goes to sit on the couch to relax. Let's not think about his authors.

 _'...I wonder how you're doing, Senpai,'_ Ritsu closes his eyes, a small smile gracing his lips. For the past 10 years he hasn't stopped thinking of him. _'You said we'll find each other later, but how much is later?'_ Either way, he'll wait more. And more...

*Knock knock* "Hm?" Ritsu checks himself before getting up and heading to the door; the knocks were too polite to be someone he knew. "Hello? Oh!"

"..." Ritsu blinked down, stupefied.

"..." Wide, bright green eyes were staring up at him.

It was a younger him. Not actually a younger him but-!

It, it really looked like him! A little him wearing a light blue and yellow preschool sailor uniform, holding a book that appeared to be a storybook. However, the child's hair seemed a lighter shade than his... it was somewhat familiar.

His mind brought him to a setting full of cherry blossoms, and a man with medium length hair tied up, dressed in white. A wedding he had attended a few years back.

"H-hello..." Ritsu begins, looking down at him. "What is your name?"

"..." The child simply tilts his head, staring at him quietly. This did not help Ritsu's rising nervousness.

"Ahh, don't run off from me like that!" A voice calls out at them, and Ritsu turns, eyes widening at the familiar face. Panting lightly, the person that was his older cousin squatted down to the child, tired as he set down a small duffel bag.

"Tsu... Tsukishima-nii?" Ritsu says, recognizing him. He notices that his relative still preferred to keep his hair long and tied up. Surprisingly to Ritsu, Tsukishima was wearing modern clothes in comparison to the yukatas he would see him in back then when he last saw him. It was somewhat refreshing to see.

"Ha... It's been a long time, huh Ritsu?" The older brunet smiles up at him, before standing back up with the child hugging his leg now. "You've grown a lot since you went to college and out!"

"A-ah, yes..." Ritsu looks down at the child. "And you..."

"Oh, yes!" Tsukishima gently beckons him forward, fixing the small child's little hat before saying, "Please introduce yourself."

"Uhm..." The small mini-them glances up at him before facing Ritsu, suddenly shy as he bowed a little. "My name is Haruki, 4 years old. I like reading, and being with Papa." _'His voice is so cute!'_ Ritsu thought, and couldn't help but smile.

"I see!" Ritsu greets him back, "I'm Onodera Ritsu. I'm your Papa's cousin-huh?" He pauses. "H-HUH?!" The brunet faces his older cousin. "Papa?!"

"Y-yes?" Tsukishima answers back, confused by his younger cousin's outburst.

"Tsukishima-nii, I'm not sure if you remember right, but I'm sure you married a man..." Ritsu was sure he remembered right, how can he not forget that part of the wedding. He remembered his mother being annoyed by the fact that Tsukishima was the one in white, the said "bride's" place. Of course, he and his other relatives were okay with it, as the man looked great in white anyhow.

"I did."

"I see... hah?"

Tsukishima laughs lightly, seeing that Ritsu was lost. "I did marry..." he looks down at his son, and pats the little hat on his head. "And we were going to adopt, but Kuroda really wanted the first child to be ours."

"Uh..." Ritsu looks down at Haruki, awed. "So surrogate, right?"

"Yeah..."

"He looks a lot like you," Ritsu frowns in thought, trying to remember his cousin's partner. "Nothing like him."

"I wouldn't say that," Tsukishima disagrees, looking down at his son. "Appearance wise yes, but little things I see... he takes after his other Papa as well." Ritsu takes note of the softening gaze before looking down at Haruki again himself.

And he realizes.

"T-Tsukishima-nii, why are you here..?" _'Oh no, don't tell me-'_

"I was hoping you can watch him for me for a week or so, if that's okay with you."

"...Hah?" _'Or so..?'_

"Our anniversary is coming up," Tsukishima begins in a rush, "-and we missed these past few years because of work so Kuroda planned a whole week- honestly, we only missed about three times but Kuroda was really determined to have this happen and then Haruki has school and we don't want him to miss it so-"

"Wait wait wait... Tsukishima-nii, this is really sudden!" _'I can't take care of a kid! Let alone...'_ He couldn't even take care of himself that well...

"I'm so sorry! Haruki was going to stay with our neighbors but," Tsukishima sighs. "We realized it wouldn't work out...oh?" They watch as Haruki grips his pant leg tighter, looking up at him. "Haruki?"

"Nghn..." The little boy hopped slightly, his green eyes troubled. "Potty..."

"Oh! Can we please come in?" Tsukishima asks, and Ritsu quickly complies.

...

"Tsukishima-nii, I don't think I can take care of him as well as you might think..." Ritsu admits sheepishly, looking over at Haruki sitting on the floor reading his book. "Work is okay for now, but soon..." Hell week was going to begin again.

"Ah, I trust you Ritsu- we trust you. Here..." Tsukishima takes out a piece of paper and hands it over. "This has the time he's in school for, the school's number, my cell number and Kuroda's. My neighbor's number is in there as well if work gets too busy. Haruki isn't allergic to anything so far, so he should be okay with everything you eat. Try not to feed him convenience store food okay?" Ritsu felt a jab to his side. "It isn't healthy, and I don't want for him to start eating that in habit."

"U-um... okay..." Hopefully, his cousin won't find out the cold, dark truth of his eating lifestyle so far.

"Haruki doesn't like to speak much, but that doesn't mean he is uncomfortable around you. Hold his hand when you walk him to and from school if you can; he tends to run away if you're not watching him carefully."

"Ah, got it." Ritsu nods, feeling fidgety about all this.

"Sorry... It's been long since we've seen you and then we ask you to do this..."

"Oh no!" Ritsu gestures frantically, "It's fine, really..."

As he followed them to the door, he swallowed at the weight of responsibility that had fallen to his shoulders as little Haruki hugged his father goodbye. With that, Ritsu prayed to the gods that he'd get through this week without depending on convenience store food for the sake of his young relative.

Another knock on the door, he opened it- and was startled by a suitcase rolling in before stopping at the end of the gekkan. He then looked to see the older man that was Tsukishima's husband, Kuroda, who, like his husband, was wearing modern attire. "Hey."

"A-ah, hello..." Ritsu trails off, as Kuroda breezed by him to pull Tsukishima to the door in an one-arm embrace.

"...A month."

"Eh?" Ritsu was clueless as Kuroda said that suddenly, seeing that the man was staring deeply at his partner, who seemed just as confused as he was.

Kuroda continues, quietly speaking as he began caressing Tsukishima's cheek; the latter blushing as he was aware of their audience. "No one to disturb us."

"...Eh?" He and Ritsu were so lost.

Facing him for a bit, Kuroda brought out bills from his jacket pocket to give to Ritsu, who accepted it hesitantly, wondering what it was for. "Thank you for accepting to watch over Prototype-kun."

"I told you, don't call him that!" Tsukishima flusters, batting at his chest.

"Prototype-kun..?" Ritsu repeats, confused.

"Don't you see it?" Kuroda points between the two involved. "It's as if he were a little recreation of him."

"Ah, I-I see..."

"Well, I don't." Tsukishima goes to squat down, fixing Haruki's outfit with a stubborn frown; Ritsu couldn't help but notice the fond look on Kuroda's face, watching the two of them.

"Okay, okay," Kuroda gives in for the moment, squatting down beside his lover to address Haruki. "Haruki, you be good for Uncle here, okay?" He gestures to Ritsu. "And I'm sure he's working until a little late, so Yuzu will stay with you after school until he comes get you." He ruffles the little one's hair with one hand as he turns a little to face Ritsu. "Yuzu is our friend's... protégé of sorts. He attends the school close by to Haruki's so..."

"Ah okay," Ritsu says, a little relieved.

"Well," He pulls a startled Tsukishima close and heads for the door, and before Ritsu can ask about the suitcase, the door was already opened and ready to close again. "See you in a month. Take care."

"Yes, I-eh? Huh? HUH?!" Ritsu found himself shouting confusedly at his closed front door, and he can hear his cousin's surprised shouting on the other side, just confused as he was. However, the voices faded away to the closing elevator at the end of the hall, and the brunet was left baffled as he turned to the small child now picking at the suitcase left behind that was apparently for him.

And so began Ritsu's... month of babysitting.

* * *

Honey brown eyes twinkled as he sat in the street corner on a bench, ignored by many. His ruffled, rugged appearance, his unruly hair that reached his shoulders. A rucksack as long as his arm, stained with the war of travel, filled with possessions he wished to show his special other.

Yes, he would be considered a... type something class hobo.

...and maybe some dirty geezer, when he wears his worn glasses that is.

' _Ritsu_...' The name passes through his head like a fleeting whisper, and he hoped that his search would stop back here in the country they were born in. He went through so much bouts of fortune and misfortune, the misfortune beginning when he got on a plane to Spain, mistaking the flights on his journey to follow Ritsu to England. When Ritsu's mother found out, his precious kouhai was forced to England to 'clear his head'.

And he didn't have much cash on him that time too... and he knew nothing of the language spoken other than some broken English...

When he finally got enough from rough part time jobs- for about a year or two too- he journeyed his way to England, only to find out that his Ritsu had possibly went back home...

Then, he had to find a way to earn more money... the struggles...

However, he got lucky, extremely lucky... and here he was, back in Japan.

But now... he... he sort of...

 _'Where the hell am I?'_...got lost.

Getting lost was the majority of his misfortune.

* * *

 **Yes, this is a silly fic (Sort of) with a Hobo! (Not really) Masamune.  
**

 **And Hybrid Child relations, woo! (Admittedly, I'm not fond of the reincarnation headcanon) I see them as separate characters.**

 **Haruki is such a cute name~ Spring tree I believe, but haha... it's so close to Hazuki...**

 **Kuroda deserves to be happy, poor child. He and Tsukishima's last names are up to you guys, I'm not gonna delve into that (Cause for all we know, Kuroda and Tsukishima are their respective last names, but I made them their first names in here just because).**


End file.
